Broken
by pottergrl15
Summary: Trailer up. When nothing is as it seems, there is a whole world of possibilites. When someone they never thought possible comes back to Roswell, everything changes. She's broken, and only they can fix her...will they?
1. Trailer

Ok, so I was being weird one day (now this goes with my favorite saying: Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia). I was in my kitchen when I just ran my hands over the counters and looked around, acting out stuff as if I had never seen anything before…and for some reason, from that was born an idea of a Rebel story. Weird right?

**She had walked into their lives…**

_Shows Tess meeting Max, Michael, and Isabel_

**And turned their world upside down**

_Flashes to Tess revealing the pod chamber and Destiny Book_

**They thought she betrayed them…**

_Shows Tess with Alex_

_Shows Max threatening her_

**But did she?**

_Shows Tess crying to herself as she hugs an unknown man in the middle of a forest_

**Nothing changed when she came back…**

_Shows the Pod Squad and the I-Know-An-Alien club gathered around Tess glaring at her_

**She gave herself up to save them…**

_Shows Tess entering the Military base_

_Flashes as the base explodes_

**But it didn't work**

_Shows the FBI coming after the aliens and their human counterparts_

**So they fled**

_Shows Max, Liz, Isabel, Michael, and Kyle running from the Feds_

**When they are called back to Roswell…**

_Shows Michael, Isabel, and Max gripping their heads in pain_

_Flashes to a 'Welcome to Roswell' sign with a car speeding by_

**They get an unexpected surprise**

_Shows an alien ship landing_

_A door opens slowly, a single female figure standing in the door way_

_Closes up to Tess' face and the groups shocked ones_

**She doesn't remember them…**

_Shows Tess staring at them strangely_

_Shows her backing away from them_

**But someone else does**

_Shows a mysterious figure in a cloak walking up next to Tess_

_Fades just as the man starts to pull down his hood_

**What happened?**

_Flashes of War_

_Flashes of a white room_

**What will happen now?**

_Shows Max, Michael, and Isabel talking together_

_Shows Max placing his hands on Tess' head_

_**Broken**_


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Liz stopped the car as she and Tess reached the top of the hill overlooking Roswell, the Rogers Air Force Base compound just beside them. They sat in silence for a moment, just looking out over the lights of the town below them.

"Max loves you," Tess said suddenly, staring out her window, biting her lower lip so Liz wouldn't see the tears forming in her eyes. It killed her to say it. "Every time we were together…every time we kissed…he was thinking of you. He had these flashes... that I saw... and...they were always of you…"

Liz stared at her, trying to debate the truth behind her words, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because…" she started, "I know how much it must've hurt you…" 'I know this is killing me', she thought to herself.

"So…you're really gonna go do this, huh?" Liz asked, still wary of Tess' loyalty.

She nodded, "At least I can do one good thing with my life." 'Cause leaving everyone, giving up everything to save a planet worth of people isn't 'good' enough,' she thought.

"Hey, Tess!" Liz called, getting her attention, stopping the blonde from shutting the door. "You're not gonna…let them throw you in the White Room, are you?"

Tess sighed before shaking her head, "No."

And with that Tess shut the door and marched down towards the chain link fence that enclosed the base. She held out her hand as she walked closer to it, vaporizing a hole before walking through it and into the compound.

She walked quickly, unsure of how long it would take the military to realize she was there. 'Not long at all,' she thought as she saw army clad men rushing towards her with guns in their hands. She rushed past them, throwing out her hands, sending them flying away from her, clearing her way. She had to get to the heart of the base to finish her plan. Sirens were going off around her as she ran across the training yard. Helicopters flew over head, blaring spot lights on her and shouting over the loudspeakers.

'Come on,' she thought as she blasted through a door and down a long corridor, 'Almost there…' She ran as fast as she could, mentally placing up shields behind her as she heard the men following her. She hated what she was about to do…but it had to be done…the military needed an alien…but they never said she had to stay alive…

Finally she found a large meeting room, right in the center of the base. She rushed in, slamming the doors behind her, locking them and melting the handles. This way, the men outside wouldn't be hurt too badly. She ran to the middle of the room and shut her eyes in concentration. Her aura started to glow a brilliant white…followed shortly after by a deep red. It started pulsing as she built up her energy. She had only ever done this once before…only a year after she had come out of her pod. Nasaedo had taken her to the Soviet Union to escape the FBI which had been trailing them for nearly a year. Nasaedo had locked her in a small room in some power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, before going off to find the Feds and get them off their trail. She had freaked out, after being enclosed in her pod for nearly 24 hours after waking up, struggling to get out…it had made her severely claustrophobic. She had gotten herself so worked up that she began to glow red and the next thing she knew, she was standing in the middle of the rubble of the Chernobyl Plant with a battered Nasaedo angrily rushing to her…

She had to do it again…blow it up…make them think that she had died as well. If she blew up, then they'd think she was gone, and she could mind warp others on her way from the rubble. They would have their alien so to speak, Max, Isabel, and Michael would be safe, and not many people would die. She just prayed as she felt her energy reach its max, that Larek had received the message she sent just before waking Liz.

IOI

Liz sat outside the base, hands gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles were turning white. She could hear all the commotion from inside the base…and to be honest, she was scared for Tess. What if she was captured? What if they put her in the white room? What if she betrayed…

Suddenly there is a tremendous flash of light! A loud blast preceded a huge explosion just to her right…the base was destroyed… Now the only thing Liz could think of was how many more people Tess had killed…

IOI

Tess opened her scrunched eyes, letting out a shaky breath as she surveyed the damage around her. She spun quickly to look behind her, only the far walls remained standing, but she could see people rushing about in the aftermath of her explosion. She let out a sigh; resting her eyes for only a moment when they suddenly snapped open…someone was…clapping…

She turned slowly to see none other than Nicholas standing there before her, looking as if he had just appeared out of no where. He looked to his right and Tess could make out the forms of a few skins before looking to his left where a few military men stood. He looked straight at her and smirked, raising his arm holding something out at her. Her eyes widened as she opened her mouth…

IOI

Liz stared at the remains of the base for only a moment before her wits caught up to her. She quickly started the car, the radio turning on automatically as Kyle still had yet to fix it. She made no move to turn it off, thankful for the distraction it offered her. She put the car in drive and took off down the road.

As she pulled away from the base…she could have sworn that she heard a woman scream…but that was impossible. No one could have survived that explosion…

A/N – Short, I know, but I just needed something to reveal the end of the actual episode and how it'll tie into my story. Next chapter should be up next week. Missed posting this yesterday. It was written, but I was running around for Easter stuff, lol. There will be another chapter of a YH story posted today too :)


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Last time:

_Liz stared at the remains of the base for only a moment before her wits caught up to her. She quickly started the car, the radio turning on automatically as Kyle still had yet to fix it. She made no move to turn it off, thankful for the distraction it offered her. She put the car in drive and took off down the road. _

_As she pulled away from the base…she could have sworn that she heard a woman scream…but that was impossible. No one could have survived that explosion…_

Now:

_I'm not religious, but I've been to church. ...I know right from wrong. And I know it's wrong to benefit in any way from someone else's passing. But I won't deny that Tess' death has freed me. Like a dark shadow passed over the sun before the light came flooding back. It's a brand new day, full of possibilities and hope. I haven't felt like that in a long... long time. _

_It's different for Max. He lost more than his son. He lost a sense of direction to his life, a sense of purpose. He puts up a brave front, but... I know..._

_I can't tell you much more than that. It wouldn't be safe, for you or for us. ...I can tell you that we're far away, and that we're all trying to avoid the law and do good in the world... _

_Oh, and I guess I should tell you that... Max and I did eventually tie the knot. _

_So that's the end. Our life in Roswell. What a long strange trip it's been. Will we ever go back? ...I don't know... _

_Even I can't see everything in the future. All I know... is that I'm Liz Parker... and I'm happy._

Liz jumped awake with a start, looking around to get her bearings straight. She was in the van, driving down the open highway, Max…her husband…was at the wheel. She looked behind her to see Michael sitting in the back seat, looking extremely uncomfortable with Isabel and Maria on either side of him…both asleep. Kyle was sprawled out on the middle seat, a cowboy hat covering his face as he slept.

Liz turned back around to face outside the window, rubbing her eyes. She leaned her head against the headrest, and sighed. She had had that dream again…it seemed to be all she'd been dreaming of for the last year. It was the last time she'd seen Tess alive…she always dreamed of it for some reason, always watching it while she heard herself read the last page of her journal over the scenes. It scared her how her last words always fell when the base exploded…when she realized that Tess was dead.

She shook her head, she shouldn't be thinking like that. It wasn't good for her…and she needed to be in the best shape possible. She rested her hand on her small stomach, rubbing it gently. She and Max had tried again last night. They'd been trying for the better part of the year to start a family, agreeing that by the time she gave birth it would be safe enough to settle down somewhere…but as of yet…no such luck. Michael always joked that all the traveling they did, didn't agree with her...

She laughed silently to herself; she had to agree with him on that. Her and Max's sex life was very….very….healthy…but she still wasn't pregnant. Well, maybe her body knew that it wasn't the right time…that it wasn't safe yet for a family. She smiled to herself; she always liked that thought better. When the time was right, she'd be able to start a family…with Max…

That thought always made her smile. Max, her husband…HER husband…not Tess'. God, there she went again. It seemed she always did that. Compared everything with Tess. That always brought her down…it seemed Tess had had all the firsts with Max…or at least with his predecessor Zan. She'd married him first, kissed him first, been his first…but still, it was Liz who was with him NOW…and that was all that mattered, not the past, not even the future, the present.

She looked over at Max, so concentrated on driving. He and Kyle had just switched driving about three hours ago. They each took six hour shifts; it was a routine they had fallen into over the year. She watched as he squinted slightly in the darkness, it was nearly 11 and soon they'd all pull over to sleep for the night.

Just as she thought that, Max yawned and looked over at her. She smiled gently at him, a warm smile which he returned…

But then something happened…

A split second after his eyes locked with hers, his eyes shut in pain. He let go of the wheel, forcing Liz to reach over and steer, as he grabbed his head. He let out a yell of pain, one which she could hear echoed by Michael and Isabel. She spared a second to glance back, enough time to see Michael and the now awake Isabel grabbing their own heads. She looked back at the road, thankfully, Max had taken his foot off the gas, and Liz was able to coast the car into a stop at the side of the road. She quickly put the car in park and reached over to hold Max's head. But he jerked away from her.

He was breathing heavily, eyes shut tightly. It seemed that the initial pain was over, and he was trying to gain his bearings again. After a few terrified moments, he opened his eyes…but not at her. He quickly looked back to see Michael, hugging a hysterical Isabel. Whatever had happened to them had scared her terribly.

"Is…" Max started, turning fully around. Isabel looked up at him, eyes answering his question. He looked at Michael to see the same reaction. It had been the same for all of them…but only Max knew what had happened.

Sensing that, Michael stared his fearless leader, "Maxwell…what the hell was that?"

Max took a deep breath, Liz looking at him in frightened curiosity. "A signal," he said. He thought back to the first and only other time it had happened to him. He had been in NY…right after he realized that Tess had disappeared with Lonnie and Wrath. He'd run into the subway looking for her…just as he reached their 'home' a sharp pain had raced through his head. After it dissipated he ran blindly in one direction, a few minutes later coming across Tess. He'd asked her what had happened to him…it had been a calling. It was a common trait on Antar. If someone was in trouble or a serious meeting was called, a signal would be sent out to the participants. They would know that they were to be somewhere and automatically know where to go. Tess had sent a calling to him for help…and he'd found her.

He looked up at Michael, the pain receded from his head…a destination rising in his mind. "We have to go back to Roswell…"

IOI

Max had taken off just after he'd spoken. Liz had tried to speak to him about not returning, even Maria and Kyle had. But even Isabel and Michael knew that ignoring the calling could be disastrous. They all knew that it could very well be their enemies sending a calling to lead them to a trap…but they also knew it could be someone from their planet…like Larek…who needed help. They had turned their back on their planet, but still…some loyalty remained. If it was Larek, he'd have a very good reason for being there…in person no less.

They had been relatively close to New Mexico, they had just arrived in Washington and Roswell was only a 23 hour drive…nonstop. But none of the aliens were willing to not drive the whole way through…that was the only way that they were able to convince Liz, Maria, and Kyle to let them make the trip. Michael, Isabel, and Max were going to drive nearly 8 hours each to make it there within a day.

It had been a long drive…but to the determined aliens, one that was worth it. Luckily for them, there was no traffic the entire way; they managed to make it there in 23 hours and 57 minutes. They drove quickly though Roswell…straight into the desert. No one truly knowing where their destination was…but knowing it was close.

When they finally stopped, the aliens, as well as the humans, stood outside the car, staring in awe at where they had driven. They were standing there, just outside the remains of the pod chamber…of the granolith…Why here?

They looked around, well, the aliens did…something was wrong…whoever had sent the signal…wasn't there yet. The aliens started to get a strange feeling of foreboding…something was really wrong…maybe it _was_ their enemies…

Just as their thoughts started to turn down a darker path the night sky was illuminated…but for only a moment. They all looked up, there was a gasp from the aliens…the V constellation was back. The last star, at the bottom of the V was pulsating. Just then it burst with light and a small light coasted away from it…towards the earth…towards them…

The pod squad's eyes widened as the light descended towards the earth, the faint outline of a ship becoming visible. They backed up, the wind picking up as the ship started to land. The humans who were still by the car stared in fear as the ship finally landed, air gushing from hidden compartments.

Max looked towards Michael and Isabel who were standing beside him. Isabel's eyes were filled with fear; fear that it may be Kivar come for her yet again. Michael stood stoically beside her, gripping her hand in his, comforting her with the unspoken promise of protection. He glanced back at the still ship, drawn to it by a sound of whirring.

He took a deep breath, watching as a small light shown from between what appeared to be doors. The doors slowly opened, only a bright white light shining from behind it. Max, Michael, and Isabel glanced at each other…what was going on…there was no one there…

Their thoughts were cut off by a small round golden figure appearing by the side of the door frame. They squinted, not fully able to make out what it was. Slowly, almost timidly, the figure moved, stepping away from its position peeking from behind the frame to reveal a person…a woman. She walked the middle of the opening, her blue dress, similar to a medieval dress, contrasting greatly to the white behind her. She wrapped her left arm with her right hand and just stood there staring at them.

Max squinted more, he could almost make out the person…she seemed familiar…very familiar…his eyes widened in shock as his mouth dropped open. He could hear Isabel gasp beside him…she recognized the woman as well.

Michael was the first to speak, "Tess?"

A/N – Muwahaha! I'm evil; I know :) The next chapter should be Tess' first interaction with the group…and a shocking revelation. Oh yeah, later it'll be explained why Liz has yet to conceive though I will say it'll either have something to do with what happened when she was shot...or about the hybrids...you'll find out soon.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Last Time:

_Max squinted more, he could almost make out the person…she seemed familiar…very familiar…his eyes widened in shock as his mouth dropped open. He could hear Isabel gasp beside him…she recognized the woman as well._

_Michael was the first to speak, "Tess?"_

Now:

Tess looked at the group of three before her, tilting her head as she stared. She looked at the other group of people as well, squinting as if she were examining them. "May tee don?" she asked them quietly, almost too quiet for them to hear her. They looked at each other for a moment before looking back at Tess. Tess looked to the humans, "May tee don?" she asked them, watching in confusion as they quickly scurried over to the aliens' sides. She bit her bottom lip and stared at the aliens this time. Something must have triggered something in her, she stared right at Isabel, "May tee don?" she asked again…

The words floated through Isabel's mind as her gaze remained locked with Tess'. _May tee don…who are you…_ Isabel blinked, pulling her gaze away from the hybrid queen to stare at her brother. "She…she wants to know who we are…"

He stared at her; it wasn't even worth it to know how she knew that. But before he could even speak Maria took a step towards the ship, "Come off it Tess, you know who we are!" she shouted.

Tess' eyes furrowed in confusion, "Tis?" she asked herself quietly.

Suddenly a booming voice spoke up from behind Tess. It must have startled her as well, for she turned to stare at a large speaker box behind her. "Mundena tranla linga."

The group looked at each other, before staring at Isabel. "Uh…um…" she repeated the words to herself…waiting for the translation to come to her, "It said…I'm sending…a…uh…translator, I guess? A speaker of words…I don't know…"

Their attention was drawn back to Tess as she nodded and started to speak, "Danka domo Larek."

Max's eyes widened, "Larek?!" What was Larek doing, helping a traitor like her?

Maria rolled her eyes, not truly understanding just who Larek was or why Max was getting so worked up that this Larek guy had helped Tess. "Stop with the games Tess!" she shouted, drawing Tess' attention back to the group, "You don't need a translator or whatever, you _know_ English!"

Tess bit her lip again, staring at the six strange beings before her. She wrung her hands together behind her back, a nervous trait she had always had. She was starting to fidget slightly as their glares at her intensified…when she felt a new presence beside her. She looked up, noticing from the corner of her eye that the others were staring at the cloaked figure who had just stepped from the door to her right. She let out a sigh of relief as the figure got closer to her. He bowed, his arms across his chest, hands resting at his shoulders, a sign of respect before rising and kissing her hand, "My Queen," he said, in English.

She nodded as if she understood him, while the gang just watched in shock…ok, so this guy (for clearly they could tell by the voice that it was a male) could speak English…that still didn't make them feel any better about it.

Tess dropped her hand and started at the man, confusion shining in her eyes, "May tee Tis?"

The cloaked figure sighed, "You are, my queen."

Isabel squinted, why would Tess be asking who Tess was? Didn't she know? What kind of game was she playing at? And who was this guy in the cloak?

Tess looked down almost ashamedly, "Non memoria."

"She doesn't remember?" Isabel asked herself out loud, drawing the questioning gazes of her friends. "She…she just said…" she shook her head. It made no sense.

Before she could continue, however, Larek's voice boomed over the speaker again, "Tempa de depora," he said, "It is time to depart."

Tess nodded slowly as the cloaked man led her down the ramp of the ship and to the solid ground that was the desert. The ramp rose, closing the ship, before the ship and Larek took off back towards the V constellation.

Tess and the man turned to face the group, who were standing a few meters away. The man took her arm and gently tugged her in their direction, but Tess refused to move. She was shaking her head and staring at them all almost fearfully. "Me timor."

The man sighed, "There is nothing to be afraid of…" he trailed, taking her hand this time, "Have I ever let you down before?"

Tess bit her bottom lip yet again, thinking to herself before shaking her head no. He started walking towards the group, Tess following just a step behind him…almost reluctantly.

He stopped just before the group, raising a hand before even Max could get a word out, "Before anyone says anything," he started, turning to glance at Tess for a moment, "We need to go somewhere safe to talk."

Tess' head perked up slightly, she tugged on the man's arm, "Jeem?" she asked, her eye lighting up like a child's on Christmas morning.

"Jim?!" Kyle asked, "No, no, no. There is no way I'm letting that…that murderer anywhere near my dad!"

His sudden outburst shocked Isabel back into reality, "She killed Alex," she said, raising her hand to blast Tess into oblivion.

But the man was quicker; he pushed Tess behind him while at the same time holding out some sort of rod, the end glowing an angry red…and aimed it right at Maria's stomach. "You harm her and I will blast a hole in her stomach."

Michael glared at the man, "You won't do it."

The man merely raised the rod to point in between her eyes, "Does it look like I am joking?"

"Michael…" Maria said slowly, "Let's not upset the alien…"

Michael looked to Isabel, who looked him dead in the eyes. It was a stare down for a few moments before Isabel dropped her hand. The man waited a moment longer, before slowly lowering his weapon.

He glanced over his shoulder; Tess huddled against his back as if she were a child hiding from an irate mother, knowing she had done something wrong. "It is safe," the man said, gently reaching behind him and pulling her to his side again. He looked up only to see everyone watching him fearful of what he might do. He sighed, "Well…this was not the welcoming I was expecting."

The group started at him now in confusion…when something dawned on Isabel… "Al…Alex?"

The man pulled down his hood to reveal none other than the Alex they all knew and loved, "Hey guys…"

A/N - So...Alex is alive! Yay! Seriously, I have a whole page in one of my notebooks about how the whole 'Tess killed Alex' thing doesn't make sense. There are so many holes in the story, you could drive a bus through it! takes deep breath But anyway, next chapter might be really long with a detailed recount (through Alex) of what really happened. Or it might end where Alex starts to explain everything...that's up to you guys, which would you like?


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Isabel gasped at the sight before her. Alex…he was there…alive…real…She could feel tears beginning to stream down her face already as she took him in. He stood a little taller than how she remembered; he was mover muscular as well, with a slight stubbly on his chin. His hair was a little longer and he seemed to be a little darker on the inside…as if he had lived through numerous horrors that had hardened him to the outside world…this was not the Alex she remembered…

"Alex…" Liz whispered, her eyes too beginning to fill with tears.

"Hey," he repeated his voice somewhat horse and slightly deeper.

Him speaking seemed to snap Maria out of her daze, she shook her head before glaring playfully at the man before her, "Alex what the hell was that about?!" she went to smack him upside the head, but he did something none of them expected. He blocked her arm, instead grabbing her wrist and pushing her away from him.

He flinched slightly at Maria's shocked and hurt face…but he couldn't help it, nearly two years of fighting makes you conditioned to defend yourself. He shook his head, "We need to go somewhere to talk."

Maria truly glared at him this time as Max silently went to start the car, the others filing in. "What the hell Alex! What's the matter with you?"

He sighed, "I'm not the same Alex you remember Maria, I've changed."

"Yeah, I can see that," she spat, this time glaring at Tess, "Something made you change."

Alex stepped in front of Tess, blocking her from Maria's view, "Yes, Maria," he said, "Something did make me change…It's called famine…bombs…plagues…disease…wounded…battles…death…It's called war Maria, look it up."

And with that he stepped past her, pulling Tess with him. Silence fell among the group who had stopped to listen to what Alex had said. When he looked up at them they quickly continued with what they were doing. It wasn't till Max started the car that anyone spoke.

Tess leapt away from the car, clutching Alex, muttering in rapid Antarian. Alex had to grab her with both arms to keep her from fidgeting and get her to listen to him. They couldn't understand just what he was saying to her, but from his gentle tone, they understood that he was calming her down. Her sudden reaction to the car was a little startling for them all.

Alex turned suddenly, a now slightly calmer Tess at his side. He stared at them, "Can we please go to Jims?"

IOI

The drive to the Valenti's was more silent than anyone was used to. Max kept glancing back at Alex and Tess in his rear view mirror as he drove, trying to quell the small spark of anger he felt at seeing her clutching to Alex's arm as she was.

They arrived nearly 15 minutes later, pulling up just outside of Kyle's house. He jumped out and held the door open for everyone to get out. He could see his father at the door, working to unlock it and greet everyone. On the ride there he had called his father on his cell, the only one that the group had (which they had secured the line with using their powers) to let him know that Tess was with them…and Alex was alive. While he had been on the phone, it took all Kyle's strength not to cry as he heard his father doing, all the while muttering to himself how he could have believed that his daughter was capable of murder…That hit Kyle hard, sure, he had thought of Tess as a sister, but he had never known that his father had thought of her as a daughter…

He smiled lightly to himself as he watched Jim run straight for Tess, arms open to hug her. He had reached her and enveloped her before she even realized what had happened, but once she had, she started to struggle in his arms calling for Alex. Jim let her go, hurt to see her backing away from him…but concerned as well when he noticed the look in her eyes…she looked as though a small child undeniably lost somewhere. "Tess, what is it?" he asked her gently. She merely took another step away from him. He looked up at Alex, stealing himself for the worst, "What happened?"

Alex sighed as he led Tess into the house. He led her towards the door that he knew to be Kyle's old bedroom. He started to say something in Antarian; he seemed to be asking her something. She nodded slightly, eyeing the others quickly before returning her attention to Alex. He smiled in return and lifted her hand which he had taken in his own, to his forehead, as protocol entitled when one was to leave the presence of a member of the royal class. Tess bowed her head in response, "Danka Domo Alex," she whispered before walking into the old bedroom to retire.

Alex closed his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts before turning to see the questioning gazes of his 'friends'. "She's going to sleep now," he explained, "She's been through a lot."

"Alex…" Jim started, pausing slightly, not used to seeing people he thought to be dead before him, "What happened? What's wrong with Tess?"

"Before I tell you anything," he started, "I need to know what she said to you when she was here before."

Everyone grew silent for a moment before Michael spoke, "She…her ship crashed in the desert…I saw it…it hit an Army Jet or something…"

"She said they were trying to shoot her down…" Max added quietly.

Alex shook his head, "There was no Army Jet," he explained, seeing Michael get ready to start something, thinking that Alex had just called him a liar, he quickly continued, "It's impossible, Antarian ships are designed to be invisible to the human eye and radar. An army jet couldn't have seen it or even succeeded in shooting it down. What you saw was probably the pod with Tess and Zan in it, deploying to land while the main ship orbited the Earth."

He said all this as if it were common knowledge that everyone should have known, completely nonchalantly as the group looked at him.

"But Tess said that the army found her," Max insisted, recalling the gruesome argument they had had about her arrival.

Alex nodded, "Someone tipped the arm off that an alien craft was landing and they went there and seized it with Tess and Zan inside. The pods won't open if they are in motion; Tess was trapped till the Army stopped. Then what?"

"Uh…she showed up at our house…right Max?" Isabel spoke for the first time.

"Yeah," Max nodded, "She was hurt, she gave me Zan and collapsed."

Alex let out a mumbled curse in what they could only assume was Antarian, "I told her she was in no condition to make the journey to Earth…but did she listen to me? No!"

"What?" Michael asked.

"After Tess killed Kivar she…"

"WHAT!" Isabel shouted. Kivar was dead? Tess killed him? What the hell?!

Alex fixed her with a firm gaze, telling her to not interrupt him, "Tess…killed…Kivar…" he emphasized, letting it sink in for a moment before continuing, "She was injured badly, but she said she had to get Zan off the planet and take him to Earth, not only to show him to you Max, but to get you to heal her wounds."

"Heal her?" Max asked, getting more and more confused.

Alex nodded, "The wounds that Kivar inflicted on her during their last duel were created using a special kind of device, the wounds will not close under normal circumstances. They have to be healed by a powerful healer, or a great number of ordinary healers. Tess refused to let the healers waste their energy on her while so many other warriors lay wounded with simpler wounds. She said she would go to Earth and ask you to do it Max."

"But we…" Michael started.

"You thought she killed me so how could she expect Max to heal her?" Alex asked him. Michael nodded slightly, "She was going to tell you the truth about what had happened, but she obviously didn't get a chance did she?" He fixed them all with a firm gaze, he had heard the message that Larek received from Tess about what had happened with them all, he knew they hadn't let her get a word in edge wise, not even Kyle was willing to listen to her. "And let me guess? You didn't heal her did you Max?"

Max looked away his harsh words to Tess, 'making you feel better isn't one of my priorities', echoing through his mind.

Alex shook his head at them, "So after you refused to help her, then what?"

"The military came after her," Michael said.

"She killed their men," Max whispered, trying to redeem himself in Alex's eyes.

"Great!" Maria scoffed, hearing this little piece of information for the first time, "How many more people is she going to off…"

"Maria!" Alex shouted, making her jump, Alex never shouted at her, "Do not talk of things you do not understand."

"Oh I understand alright," she hissed, not one to just take someone yelling at her, "She obviously mindwarped you into believing her little sob story. You probably don't even care that she killed people!"

Alex was fuming! "Have you ever stopped to consider Antarian biology?" That definitely got her to shut her mouth, "Antarian mothers feel a strong sense of protection for their young, especially in their infant years. If someone was trying to harm her child or take it away from her, she would do anything in her power to protect them. If she thought her own mother wished to harm her child, she would not hesitate to attack."

"Well she obviously attacked the men!" Maria shouted, "She didn't have to kill them all."

"She probably didn't," Alex said strained, he was obviously trying to keep his cool, "She will attack yes, but killing is also not in an Antarian nature. You fight to kill if someone tries to kill you, you fight to protect if you feel threatened. Was there any report about these 'dead men'?" Everyone shook their heads; he scoffed at them, "Then what?"

"Then we…we…" Isabel started, but she couldn't continue.

"We voted on whether to give her to the army or not," Kyle said quietly, greatly ashamed.

Alex shook his head, he knew that part of the story, Tess had mentioned it to Larek. "And the vote was?"

"Dad, Max, Liz and I voted no," Kyle answered.

"And let me guess, Isabel, Michael and Maria said yes." Alex asked looking at them, venom seeping into his words. When they looked away he shook his head, "You three disgust me."

Isabel's head snapped up only to see Alex looking at them as if he truly meant his words.

Seeing Maria getting worked up Liz finally spoke, "Then Tess told me to take her to the base…she blew it up…"

"Great, more deaths…" Alex heard Maria mumble, but decided to ignore her.

"And what about Zan?" Alex asked. He had to ask it, he didn't think that Max would have intentionally endangered his son's life, but with the amount of hate they all had felt for Tess…he wasn't so sure…

"I…we…" Max said looking at Liz, "Decided to put him up for adoption…give him a normal human childhood…"

Alex had to laugh out loud at that, "Normal? Human?" he asked, "Did none of you think, the baby couldn't possibly have been human if it hadn't been able to survive on Earth?"

"But Tess…" Max started, "She said it was a mindwarp."

Alex shook his head, "Max, when did she 'mindwarp' you?" he asked using air quotes.

"The fist time the baby was in pain was…in the pod chamber…" he said, struggling to remember. "But Tess was only mindwarping me because she wanted to go to Antar."

"And when did you mention wanting to stay on Earth?"

Max thought about it…and a realization dawned on him, "A couple of days later here…" Why would she have mindwarped him if she didn't even know how he felt about going home? "When she collapsed…"

"And what was she like after she collapsed?" Alex added, egging him on slightly.

"She was sweating and in a lot of pain…couldn't keep anything down…" Kyle answered, seeing Max still in thought.

"Right," Alex said, "How the hell was she supposed to act sweaty? Would she really risk her child's health by willingly throwing up or not eating?" Then the truth dawned on them, she really had been sick…Zan couldn't have survived here.

"But Zan…" Liz started.

"Zan had undergone numerous treatments that would allow him to breath in Earth's air for the duration of two weeks." Max gasped at that, a week had gone by when he decided to give Zan up…one week later…

"Oh my god…" Max said, his eyes widening in horror… his son was dead!

Alex shook his head, seeing where Max's thoughts were going, "Zan isn't dead Max," he said quietly, "Tess sent a message to Larek before she woke Liz, telling him to go to Earth and adopt Zan to get him off."

"But how would she…"

"How would she know you'd put him up for adoption?" Alex asked, "She mindwarped you as you slept…well…not really mindwarped…she sort of dropped the thought in your head, knowing you'd follow through with it. She told Larek that she would meet him and they would all return to Antar together…but…she…never showed up and now…she…"

Jim stepped up, seeing Alex fight with what to say next, "What's wrong with Tess?" he asked.

Alex sighed again, "She doesn't remember…" seeing their confused expressions he elaborated, "She doesn't remember anything of her life as Tess."

A chorus of 'what's and 'how is that possible's echoed though the Valenti home. Alex raised a hand silencing them all, "She doesn't remember anything. None of you, or Nasaedo, anything!"

Maria, still fuming, just had to add, "So? It's not like she's going to be staying on earth."

Alex snapped, muttering yet another curse, "That is the worst possible thing to happen! When Larek and I finally got her back, she had no memory of Kivar ever attacking the planet, nothing of Vilondra's betrayal; of him killing them all and taking over, nothing of the war…she didn't even know she had a son!"

He started to pace the room, "God, I waited for Larek to return for days, only to have him come back with Zan…not Tess. We both knew that something was wrong, Tess would never be that careless, and Antar…"

"Wait," Liz said quietly, "You were _on_ Antar?

Alex stared at her a moment, what a stupid question! "Of course I was on Antar? Where the hell do you think I was? Standing on Yekevin and watching everything through a telescope?"

"What's Yekevin?" Kyle asked.

"That's Larek's planet," Alex explained quickly. He was about to continue when Liz interrupted again.

"But…if you were on Antar…how did you breath?"

Alex rolled his eyes seeing her expression. He knew she wanted to go to Antar as well, should Max ever decide to return. "I was given a breathing apparatus. It's kind of like a breathing tube under my nose that connected to a device in the back of my mouth; it filtered the air I was breathing."

"So what about…"

"For the love of Demar!" Alex shouted, he was getting irritated. Here he was, trying to tell them all the truth about everything that Tess had done, and all they seemed to care about was breathing on another planet!

He ran a hand through his hair, his train of through completely derailed.

Sensing the young man's feelings, Jim spoke again, "Alex…why don't you just start from the beginning? And none of us…" he eyed the youngsters, "…will interrupt you till you finish."

Alex took a breath before nodding, "I went to Tess' house once, when she missed Literature, which she had with me. I was dropping off the assignment for the day when I saw her and Nasaedo fighting. He…he hit her…hard…before walking off. Tess, she got up and just ran out of the house, right past me…didn't even notice I was there. So…I followed her. She went to the park and was writing something in a notebook. When I peeked at it, she was working on translating the Destiny Book. She had most of it done too, by the way."

He took a seat on the closest thing to him, getting tired of pacing, "We started talking about Antar, and she told me some stories about what it was like there…really interesting stuff too. She told me all about the wars that had been going on for 50 years while you four were here. She also told me some…other things…" he trailed off remembering the most heartbreaking thing Tess had ever talked with him about…it was that that had first got him interested in helping her out…helping her see if her daughter was alright…

He shook his head out of his thoughts and continued one, "She was worried about her family, and she couldn't even check on them to see if they were even alive. So…I decided to help her with the Translation. You never know if there might have been a thing about communication in there. So I went to Las Cruses to work with the super computer while she worked on making my slides of Sweden. We talked about it for a while when I got back before we finally decided that I would go to Antar first...with Larek…to make sure everything would be secure for your returns."

He held up a hand to stop the protests he knew were coming, "No, Tess didn't force me to go or mindwarp me to go. I was the one who had to talk her into _letting_ me go in the first place. She was worried about me, but I was also worried about her. Our whole idea was for me to fake my death and go to Antar…while she worked on getting you three to consider returning home. If it came down to it, she was willing to come home alone.

"Larek arrived and gave Tess a communication devise for her and I to use and I left. I arrived at Antar and stayed in the Rebel camps, I actually got to meet one of Tess' old friends, who was the one that taught me Antarian. Everything was working exactly as planned…but then Tess got pregnant…"

He looked down for a moment, briefly recalling the utter despair that had been in her voice. Nasaedo had told her all about the failsafe that was encoded into each of them. If either her or Isabel procreated, the baby would be nearly fully alien and at least one of them would have to return to Antar. She had been told that the child would die if not brought to Antar in the course of 2 weeks, the midpoint of Antarian pregnancies. After that…the child would die. She had told him that things were not going well on Earth, that ever since his 'death' things had just gotten worse for everyone. He shook himself out of his thoughts, "We decided that she had to leave earlier than planned. I was worried and told her to just come to Antar herself. At least she'd be safe and the baby healthy. But we didn't know how. She didn't have the translation, I had it last and it was still in Las Cruses."

"I told her to give Liz a call about one of the buildings in the picture being torn down…because I knew that would get her on the right track to find the translation. According to Tess, you were hell bent on making an alien responsible Liz," he looked up at her, disappointment clearly shining in his eyes, "She used an old Halloween voice changer thing to sound like a man and gave the call. You guys found it and as you know, Tess was the only one to leave. She had Zan in the rebel camp and led the armies.

"She was the Queen they needed her to be," he said seeing the look in Max's eyes, "She fought for her people as the King would have…as the King was supposed to do. But there wasn't any king out there, was there Max? No, so that responsibility fell to the Queen." He took a breath, "One of our spies found out where Kivar was going to make his next move. He was going to attack a small village in the eastern provinces, so Tess set out with a few men, snuck in to the village before the attack…and killed him on the streets.

"Then, like I said, she came to earth to show Zan to you all. She honestly thought one of you three would have found it odd that she could only mindwarp someone for a few minutes, yet, supposedly she had been mindwarping me for two months. She hoped you would have continued the investigation and dug up my grave…to see that I wasn't there. It was empty…but you didn't. She decided that you were all better off on Earth, happier, oh, Isabel, congratulations on being married. And decided to leave." His brief congratulation was not what Isabel had expected. It sounded nearly sincere…not jealous or angry… How could Alex be jealous or angry, Isabel was merely a crush, he realized, there were things more important than following her around like a lost puppy.

"She was going to merely leave you all when her wounds were healed, but someone tipped off the military that she was here. She sent a message to Larek to get Zan off the planet, and that she'd meet him for the departure…but she didn't…Larek had to leave, Zan's treatments had almost run off. We tried to locate her while we were on Antar…we had no idea where she was till Nicholas ransomed us for her. He was the one who had tipped off the military. He had escaped the blood bath on Antar, the only one of Kivar's right hand men to do so, and followed Tess here for revenge."

Alex ran a hand down his face, that whole time had been the worst of his life, he felt as if he had somehow failed Tess. He had promised Tess, just after Zan had been born, that he would always be there to protect her. "He found Tess at the base and captured her…he…he tortured her…" He paused a moment, looking up at Max, "Max, would you say that Antarians are more advanced than humans? Just, based on what you've seen of the granolith, the healing stones, and other devices?" Max nodded numbly, trying to see where Alex was going, "Imagine the white room…with alien technology." Max winced and looked away, "Larek and I managed to find Tess…Larek arrested Nicholas…but Tess…" he took a breath, "She had been tortured so much…that she blocked it out…she blocked everything out…everything as Tess…"

He looked away from them, it was disgusting to him to see them all looking so concerned and pained when nearly an hour ago they could have cared less, "We managed to get her back to Antar alive…but the healers couldn't heal her mind. Her wounds, sure, but her mind…they didn't know anything about her life as Tess…they wouldn't be able to trigger her memories. We tried memory sessions, like she tried with you Max…I got her to remember some of me…and even a little about Jim…"

"Why you two?" Max asked quietly.

Alex ignored the fact that he had interrupted, and decided to answer, "She remember those first, which she felt the most safe and secure with…" he looked over the aliens, "Funny…she felt safer with us than with her own kind." He shook his head, an angry look coming to his face, "Do you know how she felt? Do any of you understand what it was like for her? To have her best friend think her capable of murder?" he glanced at Isabel, before moving on to Michael, "To have her family turn on her? Yes Michael, she was part of the family you were looking so hard for, Ava was Wrath's cousin." Michael looked away, tears he had never shed before starting to come to his eyes, but Alex didn't notice, his attention had turned on Max, "How about this one Max? Do you know what the first thing Tess said after she was healed, the first time she saw Zan on Antar? No? She said, 'me peco regna'…my little princess…that's right Max," he said, seeing realization dawn on his face, "Ava and Zan had a daughter just before Kivar killed you all…I was the one who had to tell her that her daughter died during that attack." He shook his head again, "Do you get it now? She knew it was her son…but she didn't know how? By whom? Where the hell you three were?!

"Why are you doing this Alex?" Isabel cried, tears streaming down her face, "Why did you come back? To torture us about this?"

Alex shook his head; funny it was always about 'them' wasn't it? "No, I came back to heal Tess' mind…she needs help and Max you're…

Just then a scream rang through the house. Alex was up and in Kyle's room before the others could even react. "No! Please" Tess' voice rang out in pure English, "Stop! No don't! Get away! Stop! Stop! No!!" Alex was shaking her when they all arrived at the door, as she thrashed in her sleep, trying desperately to wake her up. "No! Leave me alone!"

"Tess!" Alex shouted before giving her one more firm shake. That jolted her awake. She dove into Alex' arms, muttering in Antarian about something. Isabel had the vaguest notion that she was talking of her night terrors…the words 'not mine' and 'what's happening' were repeated as Tess shook in his arms. Alex rocked her quietly, muttering soothing nothings in her ear, rubbing her back, before glancing up at the group before him. "She needs your help."

A/N – Wow! Nearly 10 pages! Yay! I really should be working on my 7 page research paper…but oh well…as long as it gets done by Tuesday it's all good. Next chapter should be about Alex and the gang talking about what they do now…


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